A duck found dead west of Stockholm had a mild type of the H5 avian influenza virus but not the deadly form of bird flu that has killed more than 60 people in Asia, Sweden's Board of Agriculture said on Sunday.

"The duck that died of the flu in Eskilstuna (west of Stockholm) carried the moderate variant of the virus, according to the results of analyses carried out by the National Veterinary Institute," the Board said in a statement published on its Web site.

"That means that the aggressive bird flu virus found in Asia and Russia and that has spread to, among other places, Turkey and Romania, was not found in this bird," said the statement.

The National Veterinary Institute had reported late Saturday that the duck, one of seven found dead in Eskilstuna on Friday, tested positive for bird flu.

The board said the type of virus found in the dead duck was a mild, low pathogenic type of the H5 virus and added that at this time of year it is not unusual for 20-30 percent of ducks to carry influenza.

The lethal H5N1 strain has wreaked havoc on Asian poultry stocks and killed more than 60 people in the past two years.

It has now reached as far west as European Russia, Turkey and Romania, transmitted by migrating birds.

The Swedish Board of Agriculture on Friday advised poultry farmers in the central and southern regions of Svealand and Gotaland to bring birds indoors if possible or feed them in protected areas.

The Board said that the tests meant there was no reason to extend or strengthen its current recommendations.

Source: Xinhua